Electrolyzers for producing hydrogen gas from water, generally in the form of an electrolyte solution, are known. Such electrolyzers are particularly useful for producing hydrogen and oxygen gases in a vehicle, the gases being used to supplement and enhance the fuel supply to the vehicle's engine.
Previous electrolyzers for on-board vehicle use had various drawbacks. The electrolyzers were archaic, large and heavy, utilizing technology that had been in place for a number of years such as stainless steel plates and open containers. In addition, the electrolyte often became polluted by metal ions that came off the plates and often ran low. These issues had safety consequences and resulted in a lack of efficiency and reliability in the unit.
Many previous cells generated hydrogen gas and oxygen together without separating the gases. Thus, since these gases together are extremely explosive, many safety components had to be incorporated in any electrolyzer system. This increased complexity of many previous systems and, thereby, their cost and chance of failure.